Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our Smugmug site.

LUNENBURG -- A local firefighter and a Lunenburg resident were honored Tuesday night for their heroic efforts last month when they ran into a burning building fire to help a stranded resident.

David Spadafore, a retired Leominster police officer, was driving on Pratt Road just before noon to meet his fiancée for lunch when he noticed heavy smoke in the area.

As he proceeded down the street, Spadafore saw smoke was coming from a home at 9 Rennie St.

"Without regard for his own safety," according to Fire Chief Patrick Sullivan, Spadafore broke down the front door of the home and tried to enter to see if anyone was home.

Because of the heavy smoke and fire, he was unable to proceed.

He immediately called 911 to report the fire, and Sullivan said that was the only call made to dispatch.

"Noticing a car in the driveway and the presence of a wheelchair ramp, he continued to try and make entry to the home to search for occupants but was thwarted by the heavy smoke," Chief Sullivan wrote in a letter to the selectmen.

Firefighter Austin Flagg was the first emergency responder on scene, and when he was informed of the possibility of an occupant, he put on his gear and entered the building without his breathing apparatus.

Flagg was able to find the victim at the rear of the home and began pulling him to the outside, where he was assisted by Spadafore.

Advertisement

They both rendered CPR until the arrival of other first-responders.

Andre Forest, 87, died after being taken to HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster. Neighbors said Forest was diabetic and had lost movement in one leg and had toes on the other leg amputated. He was found unconscious at the rear of his home.

The home, a one-story ranch, was left uninhabitable. At the time, Sullivan estimated more than $80,000 in damage.

"Though the victim ultimately succumbed to his injuries, Mr. Spadafore's and Firefighter Flagg's efforts gave the victim the best possible chance of survival under the circumstances," Chief Sullivan wrote in his letter to selectmen. "If he had not located the fire when he did, I have no doubt the home would have been heavily involved in fire in just a few minutes, preventing any attempt at rescue."

Sullivan also praised Flagg's work, saying he is not one to put himself in the limelight.

"Though he would probably deny it, Austin's actions go above and beyond the call of duty in placing himself in no small risk to perform this rescue," Sullivan wrote. "My fellow firefighters and I are proud of Austin, and I would ask that the board take time and recognize his actions as well."

The pair received a standing ovation from all five selectmen Tuesday night, as well as the town manager and a packed meeting room at Town Hall.

Selectmen Chairman Tom Alonzo praised their work.

"I commend you for your actions," he said. "Above and beyond doesn't even begin to cover it."

Flagg, 22, has been a firefighter since 2009 and said the rescue was truly a team effort.

"I had a lot on my mind when I got there," he said. "We're trained to do so much when we get on scene in a short amount of time. Everyone there did their part."

Spadafore praised the response time of the other firefighters who responded to the scene as well as the police officers, saying that from the time he called dispatch to the time they showed up, mere minutes had passed.

"When I got there, I just did what I needed to do," he said. "I banged down the door. I broke windows. I was trying to see if somebody was inside."

His fiancée, Vicki Downey, said at first she didn't believe his story but ultimately it doesn't surprise her.

"I'm not surprised at all. It's just his personality," she said.

Her 19-year-old son, Timothy Downey, is a member of the Lunenburg Fire Department.

Lunenburg police Sgt. Sean Connery and Officer Sean Zrate arrived on the scene and helped until other EMS personnel responded to the scene.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.